Upon my arrival at the Durham’s dance, it was quickly apparent to me that their daughter’s new purebred fiancé was not the evening’s star as gossip had foretold. Instead, a dashing green-skinned gentleman had garnered a pack of giggling admirers.

I had never encountered a person of such fascinatingly verdant coloration before, and yet I immediately had an odd pressure upon me to accept this man and not question his visage.

How peculiar.

I retreated to a far wall. My brow furrowed in thought; the motion hurt. My face was caked with powder adequate to make an elephant sneeze, all to obscure the final, yellowed vestiges of what had been a black eye.

Such a blemish would have been abhorrent to the flibbertigibbets filling the room, but then, they also had the mental acumen of chocolate éclairs. They prowled these parties for husband material the way big game hunters stalked moose, each seeking to bag something brag-worthy and best kept stuffed in a parlor. This green-skinned man was fresh meat, though it seemed no one else had noticed his greenness at all.

The attitude (both written and narrated) here that leads to droll statements like "smacking Miss Pumpernickel with my cudgel is one of my great joys in life" and choices made and not made, were refreshing and I enjoyed it immensely.

I am not generally a fan of steampunk, but I really enjoyed this one. I particularly liked how the MC chose not to go with the alien because he seemed rather flighty to her (and she could wait 80 years for chocolate chip cookies ).Was anyone else thinking of Dr. Who at this point?

The skating scene was a bit of a let down after the main character's skills had been talked up so much. I was also happy with the ending and I think she will have plenty of adventures in her own time with an attitude like hers.